The City of Fountain Inn

The City of Fountain Inn’s Main Street Improvement Grant Program has been an unqualified success since its inception. Targeting façade improvements and expansion and improvement of outdoor areas the city allocated $250,000 toward Main Street grants. In the past 2 years, all of those funds have been allocated, resulting in 41 new building permits issued, 17 new businesses opened, 78 new jobs created and more than $6.2 million in investment in 2023 alone. The jury noted while this is not the only such grant program in SC Main Street communities, its focus and integration with larger community goals has made it a model program.